CloudOn is an iPad app that provides access to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2010. Like OnLive Desktop, CloudOn uses virtual instances of these applications hosted in the cloud, so it requires the iPad to be Internet connected to work. Unlike OnLive, however, you don't get a Windows desktop and other Windows applications. It's just Office.

The lack of a Windows desktop means, however, that you need some place to store whatever documents you create, edit, and access. So CloudOn integrates with DropBox for that purpose. If you have a DropBox account, CloudOn will be pretty straightforward. But if not, you'll need to create one first.

Regardless, this is a decent solution that offers almost all of the Office 2010-based functionality you get with OnLive Desktop (with just some minor non-functioning bits, like PDF presentations).

Thanks very much to Gary Cook for the tip about this. I had actually installed this on my iPad previous but I think it got lost in the shuffle with all the OnLive Desktop stuff that's been going on since.

Discuss this Article 11

What is being missed (or ignored) by Paul in all of this is that these Apps demonstrate a desire for at least some iPad users to have Office or Office like products on their iPads. While these third party solutions somewhat fill the gap they have limitations like requiring an internet connection to be useable. How long is it until users look for other products like Apple's iWork apps on the iPad to meet their needs rather than waiting for Microsoft to catch up? At this point Apple sells one iPad per 4 PCs that are sold. That makes it a significant and growing platform. To date Microsoft had missed the smartphone boat, missed the tablet boat and is in the process of missing productivity software boat on mobile devices. Given that almost all their profit comes from OS and Office sales they simply cannot afford these types of blunders. I am guessing they will be playing catchup when it comes to productivity software much like they are scrambling to catch up when it comes to smartphone and tablet OS marketshare. While I think it is foolish to say MS is dead or dying, they have the money and resources to fight these battles for a long time but it sure shows a massive leadership gap.

So, apparently the key to making the iPad an actually useful device is finding a way to use Windows Office on it. And when a company reselling bootleg use of Microsoft Office and Windows for that purpose is found to be of questionable legality - not exactly a surprise - the new proposed solution is to go to a company offering to resell bootleg use of just Microsoft Office?
The desparation that the iOS community has find ways to use real Microsoft Office rather than OpenOffice or the other clone attempts or even Apple's own iWork tools shows that they clearly understand just how limited the iOS platform really is and how badly they miss using a real PC in their "post-PC" fantasy land even if their "creative" self-image doesn't let them admit it in public.

@MikeGalos: Speaking of fantasy... You seem to be assuming that most iPad users want or need Office. iOS seems to be doing just fine without it. It is of course popular enough that there are enough folks who would like to see Office available on their iOS device to make OnLive and CloudOn viable. But, that's a far cry from saying that Office is the "key to making the iPad an actually useful device." If it weren't useful, it wouldn't be both selling so well and getting such high marks in customer satisfaction.

@ModernDislocation you are right in some respects and you will have some small fish jump ship to a different Office platform. For the Companies that have more than 10 people and interact with other companies, Office is such a standard that it is nearly impossible to get out. The hook that will keep them in is Excel. I don't know how many times I have seen an Excel spreadsheet not open in any other app. Until you have a competitor that can open all Office documents with full fidelity, MS has time and room to squeeze the competition. With the mobile space they were not the number 1 player or even number 2 really so they did not have everything to lose. With Office they are the clear Number 1, and I dont think you will find enterprise IT so eager to muddy the waters just to get iPads functional for what they mostly perceive as whiny end users. No IT Manager right now is going to lose his/her job for sticking with Office and would have an uphill battle to introduce a product that Kinda works like office, but is not office and causes user confusion and redundant work. People sometimes forget that an iPad is not a required portable device. If push comes to shove an ultrabook is just as capable (more so) and just as light and portable.

hmmm... one would think that if Office were a deal breaker and people decided they needed "real PC" we would see a decline in iPad sales and PCs would absorb that decline. The reality is over the two years that iPad has been out it has gone from selling one iPad to 20 PCs in year one to selling 1 to 4 in year two. This is due to both PC sales flattening out and iPad sales growing at an amazing rate.
Now, you can attack lob personal attacks at iPad users all you want but given that sales numbers down't back you up in any way I think it stands to reason that you are the one that is desperately clinging to your world view and not the folks buying iPads. But if it makes you feel good, go for it.

@mikegalos,
Well then by your logic the PC community is desperate to get OS X. After all companies have tried to sell non Apple hardware with OS X installed and create software to allow users to make their own "Hackintosh". I guess that means Windows is useless because a small fraction of people want to run OS X on their PC hardware. Just like you claim that because a small fraction of iPad users want to run MS Office, and a third party company came up with a solution to do so, that the entire iOS community needs this.
Office on the iPad would be nice, but the sales and usage data shows its not needed, nor is the lack of the availability currently hurting the platform.

@Freezal -
You seem to be missing the point. Microsoft is showing a pattern of being late to the game. This isn't just about iPads it is about tablets in general. There is a move toward tablets by computer users and while the iPad numbers are easiest to find and equate to over PC numbers they only represent something like 70% of the market and Microsoft has no presence in the market at all. While I agree with you that IT managers are larger companies will not feel the need to move to tablets right now and that gives MS some breathing room, they only make up part of the market. Students, home users and small business jumping ship isn't something that MS can afford. Seriously, look at Micorsoft's record over the last decade or so. They missed the boat when it comes to mobile music players, smart phones and now tablets. Their attempts to catch up in music players and phones have failed. They have announced a tablet strategy two years into the market taking off but have yet to actually ship anything that competes. So, other than the XBOX MS has failed to enter new markets. Their core markets of Windows and Office have mostly held steady from a revenue standpoint but Windows has been losing marketshare and the PC market is not growing like it once did and according to MS actually contracted last year for them. Now they have exposed themselves to another attack on the Office front by not recognizing opportunity on new platforms smart phones and tablets are taking off and MS is nowhere to be found. Again, this isn't because of a lack of money, resources or talent. Microsoft has those things in spades. What they don't currently have is leadership that is willing to get them into the market. I have no doubt they could make a compelling version of Office for iOS and Android, but someone has to be big enough to decide to do it.

@ ModernDislocation How many of these people that want productivity suites on their iPads really plan on doing any real productivity work on them? I think the desire to run Office and similar apps *currently* is somewhat of a novelty--people want to do it just because they can and it's a cool thing to show off. But beyond that, I really doubt that Paul, for example, is going to crank out his upcoming Windows 8 Secrets book on an iPad. So, while I do think tablets with specific line-of-business apps can greatly benefit certain industry verticals, I don't think any IT shops are seriously considering "replacing" laptops/desktops with tablets.
Maybe we need to reconcile ourselves to the notion that tablets are consumption devices and stop trying to shoehorn them into being creation devices--especially if the lack of "creation functionality" isn't influencing sales. And while it seems we're headed towards at least some degree of device convergence, the animosity towards keyboards and the whole "post-PC" scenario is premature. Maybe hybrid/detachable tablets and docking stations will be the norm someday, but this just underscores the value keyboards still have as input devices. And if at any point I may want to create something on a device, it begs the question of why not just carry a device that has a keyboard built-in--especially if this device is an ultrabook and provides similar benefits to tablets in terms of resume times and battery life?
To the point about Microsoft's pattern of being late to the party, one of Microsoft's "problems" is that it likes to dabble in different markets without really focusing on them. There's some logic to the idea that MS should stop trying to compete with Apple. While MS wants to avoid becoming like IBM, that doesn't mean it must play in the gadget-of-the-week arena. After all, MS is predominately a *software* company: you don't see anyone turning to Oracle for its response to the iPad or iPhone...

@BXP -
I will try to address your points in order.
1. "How many of these people that want productivity suites on their iPads really plan on doing any real productivity work on them?" I doubt I could provide a meaningful number on this but I own an iPad and I do want something to edit documents, presentations and spreadsheets. In my case I gave up waiting for MS and started using the iWork apps and they work great. I agree that your example of writing a book on an iPad or other keyboard less tablet is spot on. That type of work is going to stay on PCs, but that isn't the type of work most people do. I work for a sizable company and my iPad ties into our mail, directory and calendaring system. It also ties into our reporting via applications made by SAP. I wouldn't use my iPad to create an overly convoluted spreadsheet it works great for editing, viewing and basic work. For presentation I pretty much have ditched Power Point and use Keynote on the iPad. So it is well beyond novelty for me, I used it for work. I never said IT depts are pushing to replace computers so no argument here. That said the majority of PCs go to consumers not companies large or small and more that companies buy productivity software.
2. As mentioned about I reject the idea that they are consumption devices and since I do in fact use a tablet for work. There also isn't a lack of productivity applications. In the case of the iPad there are the iWork apps, Omni Group's apps and Filemaker just to name a few. There is a lack of Microsoft productivity apps and that is my point. An entirely new form of computing has come and Microsoft if not playing in the market and in the process just giving it away.
3. Oracle doesn't make operating systems so they wouldn't make a competitor but it is a good example because they have several iPad apps out which are used for business and not consumption. Clearly Oracle gets the importance of support new platforms.

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